After more than two months of traffic restrictions on the Lueg Bridge, Asfinag has presented a preliminary assessment of the changes introduced due to construction work.
According to the road administrator, the temporary two-lane system is working well. Let us recall that since January 1, the Lueg Bridge on the Brenner motorway has been available with only one lane in each direction. During periods of increased traffic, especially at weekends, road users have two lanes in each direction. According to Asfinag, this arrangement clearly prevents long delays and traffic jams. It will continue in the summer, during the holiday season.
“Slightly longer delays”
“We saw that the concept worked. During the week, the single-lane system only caused slightly longer delays lasting several hours; otherwise, it worked very well. This is especially true on weekends when we provided two lanes. We saw that our plan worked. I can promise that nothing will stand in the way of a trip to Tyrol or the Brenner Pass in the summer. No one has to worry about not reaching their holiday destination,” Stefan Siegele, CEO of Asfinag, commented on the preliminary assessment.
More dual carriageway traffic for travellers
From Easter onwards, Asfinag will significantly increase the number of days on which the two-lane arrangement will apply, due to increased holiday traffic. Therefore, during the summer months, the Lueg Bridge will be accessible almost every day with two lanes in each direction.
When it comes to freight transport, it seems that the Tyroleans are doing everything they can to limit it as much as possible. According to René Zumtobel, Tyrolean Minister of Transport, restrictions on transit are necessary.
“Thanks to the bans on alternative routes and additional block checks on the B182, we have managed to relieve the municipal and city roads as much as possible. It is clear that travel will continue during Easter and the summer, so we will constantly evaluate the measures and adapt them if necessary,” Zumtobel said, as quoted by Asfinag.
The Italians’ appeal went unheard
Italian entrepreneurs, who view the situation on the Brenner motorway differently from the Austrians, will be disappointed by Asfinag’s initial analysis. According to LVH, an entrepreneurs’ organization from South Tyrol, daily traffic jams on the Brenner motorway and the adjacent national road not only complicate the transport of goods but also negatively impact the lives of the local population. That is why the organization has appealed for urgent measures to relieve traffic in order to avoid economic losses. LVH proposed, among other things, lifting night-time bans on heavy goods vehicles on this route and revising the calendar of driving bans.
“It cannot be that trucks have to pass through narrow time windows during the day, causing a complete breakdown of traffic. We need practical solutions that meet the real needs of the economy,” criticised Alexander Öhler, chairman of LVH’s transport division.